Meet the Caspian Sea Monster, a huge old Soviet plane that has long been found on a beach in the far south of Russia, on the border with Azerbaijan.
This is not a normal airplane. It is an Ekranoplan, a relic of the Cold War. The time when America and Russia tried to outdo each other with the latest and most bizarre technological toys. The Ekranoplan is certainly bizarre. It does fly, but this monster cannot go higher than 100 meters. It floats a few meters above the surface of the earth or sea, using the air cushion that it creates itself by skimming very quickly over land or sea.
This gigantic specimen (100 meters long, 44 meters wide) was used for military transport across the Caspian Sea. When fully loaded, the aircraft weighs 540 tons. And even more astonishing: it could reach speeds of 550 kilometers per hour.
You can imagine that the Americans were shocked when they saw the Ekranoplan in action for the first time.
Because they initially had no idea what this vehicle was supposed to represent, it was named 'Caspian Sea Monster'. It is unique of its kind, because only one of this Ekranoplan was built. So he's probably retired forever on this remote Russian beach. Moving is indeed a thing.
Movie: Chris Heijmans & Rick de Vries
Music: Ekranoplan - Caspian Sea Monster (Deutsch-Italienische Freundschaft)